Politico: The Commission’s plan to restart travel: who agrees, who doesn’t, will be ready this summer | WORLD



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The panorama of the trips and the vaccination certificate try to unravel Politico in a lengthy post.

The Commission, wanting to resume travel, announced the adoption of a legislative proposal at the European level for a “Digital Green Certificate” on March 17, 2021. In a letter to European leaders, Lyen announced that the vaccination certificate is being introduced. by law in the European Union, noting that European leaders “agreed on a common approach, aimed at facilitating the right to free movement of citizens of the European Union.”

Politico answers questions about the Commission’s plan, the opinions of the EU countries, but also the main question of the personal data of the authorities and citizens about the vaccination certificate.

Politico’s article on vaccination certificates

What’s the plan?

The Commission’s legislative proposal is adopted on March 17. As Politico tends to point out, the date may be close, but most of the details have yet to be completed. The Commission on Wednesday valued the first thoughts of the EU countries, in a debate where many diplomats described it as “chaos”. «There is a profound lack of clarity as to what the certificate really is.“Said a diplomat.

However, what is certain is that the Commission wants the vaccination certificate to include not only evidence of the doses, but also the results of the tests and information on the recovery of the virus.

Who promotes the idea of ​​a vaccination certificate?

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The plan is particularly important for southern European countries that depend on tourism, such as Spain, Malta, Cyprus and Greece.

«Ensuring the fastest possible restoration of free movement is, of course, a top priority for all of us.“Wrote Greece’s Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the first to champion the idea, in January in Von der Layen.

On the other hand, there are countries that look ahead: countries are in no mood to wait: Cyprus Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios said on Thursday that vaccinated Britons will be admitted to the country without restrictions from May. Spain and Greece are also considering a “green path”.

Other countries in favor include Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who asked for a digital green certificate at a video conference of EU leaders last week, while Denmark and Sweden announced their plans to create a certificate for travel resumption. Estonia, on the other hand, is working on a global certification pilot project with the World Health Organization.

Are all the EU countries in favor?

According to Politico, European leaders may have had a common approach to certifications, but that does not mean that everyone agrees, as this “lukewarm approach leaves a lot of room for doubt.”

«I will not accept a system that requires access to it or to another country with a certificate“Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. The EU should avoid a scenario in which each country develops its own system, he added, but” such a document should not grant specific rights to people who have been vaccinated. “The attitude of the minister of Belgian Foreign Relations Sophie Wilmes is similar, emphasizing that the prohibition of discrimination is more fundamental than ever.

Angela Merkel, for her part, said last week that German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said last week that the vaccination certificate may not be the “only” solution to allow travel, as, for example, it does not yet exist. A minor, he added, adding that a negative test will remain an alternative.

Although no one objects to the idea in principle, there are practical and ethical concerns, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said, expressing concern about whether vaccinated travelers could transmit the disease.

Will you be ready for summer?

Politico explains that leaders must apply a single certificate to health systems and their borders, and that the Commission must establish a “gateway” to link national systems, something von der Leyen warned will last at least three months. In fact, a document sent to the delegations of the countries has already raised the perspective of four months.

At this point, the article emphasizes that creating a “gateway” would not be an easy task, recalling what happened when EU countries developed infection monitoring applications last year, where some chose different technological solutions that made data exchange difficult or impossible.

Do I need to trade my “privacy” for a vacation?

One of the hot topics in vaccination certification is the topic of personal data. According to Politico, the head of the Commission stressed that green certificates will respect data protection, security and privacy. However, European regulators don’t seem to be freaking out at the idea. The Belgian regulator talks about ambiguities regarding the storage of vaccinated data, but also about the details of how the data is communicated. It is also concerned that the authorities may retain this data for a long time.

European Data Protection Supervisor Wojciech Wiewiórowski described the idea of ​​a certificate as “extreme” adding that “even the name is a bit strange.”

The French data authority has stated that digital green certificates can be applied and EU data protection rules are still being met, but privacy activists are more likely to turn to any kind of system.

Is there a problem with the certificate?

The current limited supply of vaccines, not just in Europe but around the world, is a major reason why the World Health Organization urges that vaccination is not a condition for travel at this time, although the decision will be reconsidered. in a few months.

The Parliamentary Committee of the Council of Europe, a human rights body, also drew a (non-binding) red line around vaccination certificates in January, arguing that they are only suitable for monitoring the effectiveness and side effects of vaccines. The rapporteur for this, French MP Jennifer de Temmerman, warned that such certificates could create an entirely new category of who has and who has not, depending on the vaccination regimen. And given the vaccination rate in his country at the moment, he noted that at this point the right to travel will primarily belong to residents of nursing homes.

Camino Mortera-Martinez, from the Center for European Reform, argues that the unvaccinated will not be discriminated against, since travel will be allowed under certain conditions, it will simply be easier for those who have been vaccinated.

Will it really work to reduce transmission rates?

We don’t know, Politico responds, stressing that this is the reason why the WHO has not adopted the idea. There are still “critical unknowns about the effectiveness of vaccination in reducing transmission,” the UK health agency said in a recent statement. Vaccine doses can clearly prevent symptoms, however, it is not certain whether asymptomatic people can still transmit the virus.

It is also unknown how long before people who need to be vaccinated travel, or whether people who have antibodies after recovering from COVID-19 should be excluded.

Source: Politico

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